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Minnesota's Latino students weigh chance to study, work without deportation fears

By Danya P. Hernandezdhernandez@pioneerpress.com

Posted:
08/13/2012 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated:
09/04/2012 03:44:44 PM CDT

Video from the St. Paul Pioneer Press | TwinCities.com.

Alexander Della Polla, a 22-year-old engineering student at the University of Minnesota, is among an estimated 2,500 to 4,000 Latinos
in Minnesota who might qualify for a new two-year permit to study and work in the United States without fear of deportation. (Pioneer Press: Chris Polydoroff)

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story had the incorrect age and tuition amount for Della Polla.

Alexander Della Polla was offered what he considered the perfect internship in April working as a software engineer. But the moment came when he was asked to provide a Social Security number. He had to turn down the offer.

"That's when it really hit me," Della Polla said. "This is what it could be like next year when I graduate."

Della Polla, 22, a senior at the University of Minnesota, has been affected by his immigration status -- he and his family overstayed their visas, meaning they were in the U.S. illegally -- since he arrived in the country from Venezuela.

As a student growing up in Burnsville without legal documentation, Della Polla had limited resources to seek higher education.

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Counselors and admissions officers didn't know what to tell him after he graduated from high school in 2007.

"No one knew if I could be admitted to the University of Minnesota as an undocumented student," Della Polla said. "I knew I had the GPA and the academics to get into that program."

The future of Della Polla and young people like him changed June 15. President Barack Obama announced an executive order, known as "deferred action," that will provide a two-year permit -- protection from deportation -- to immigrants younger than age 31 who arrived in the country before age 16, have a high school diploma or GED and are attending college, among other qualifications.

On Wednesday, Aug. 15, the application process is expected to open, and young people like Della Polla will be given a chance to study and work in the United States without fear of deportation.

WHO WILL BENEFIT

A recent study by the Minnesota State Demographic Center estimates that about 2,500 to 4,000 Latinos in the state will qualify for the permit.

"This is a conservative estimate," State Demographer Susan Brower said.

Della Polla, of Burnsville, arrived in the U.S. from Venezuela with his mother at age 7. They stayed in the country after their visas expired. (Pioneer Press: Chris Polydoroff)

Brower said officials now are focused on the Latino population because they are considered the most obvious benefactor.

The Immigration Policy Center, a nonprofit agency that studies immigration in the U.S., puts the number at more than 9,000.

"We are talking about anywhere from almost half a million to 1.4 million (young people nationally) as total beneficiaries of this law," said John Keller, executive director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, a nonprofit group that provides legal and other services to low-income immigrant communities.

With the application date approaching, concerns about the process remain.

The fact that thousands of immigrants are expected to register directly with the Department of Homeland Security makes some wonder if the personal information could be misused or used to target family members who do not qualify for the protective status.

According to Homeland Security guidelines, the information will not be shared for purposes of immigration enforcement, unless the individual or family member have committed crimes that would put them at high deportation priority.

Another concern is what could happen when the two years expire.

Keller said Obama's executive order could be compared to the temporary protective status given to other groups from Syria, Honduras, Somalia and other countries torn by violence or natural disasters. These programs have been renewed over the years, and Keller said he believes the same will happen with the new protective status.

"You are inviting the best and the brightest and the most successful elements of this eligible population to come forward," Keller said.

THE JOURNEY

Originally from Caracas, Della Polla arrived in Minnesota with his mother on a tourist visa when he was 7 years old. The two found an opportunity for a new life in Burnsville, away from what he described as "family issues," and they overstayed their visa.

Other than having to learn a new language, Della Polla went through elementary and middle school with no major hurdles. By the end of high school, he realized it would be difficult to continue on to college.

"Not many people that were Latino from my graduating class went on to college, whether they were legal or undocumented," Della Polla said. "I was personally very lost and discouraged in the process."

With the help of the student organization NAVIGATE, which provides college advice to immigrant students regardless of immigration status, he began a college career.

He received an associate degree from Normandale Community College in Bloomington and applied to the College of Science and Engineering program at the University of Minnesota.

When the acceptance email came, Della Polla felt a sense of accomplishment. But the price of Della Polla's dream -- charged out-of-state tuition, at about $18,000 per semester -- seemed out of reach for his mother, a restaurant worker with a modest salary.

Della Polla was forced to take only one class per semester for one year. He paid about $3,000 per class and tried to remain positive.

"For me, it was the ideal moment because I had done something that very few undocumented students had done before, especially without funding," Della Polla said.

Money was Della Polla's biggest struggle. He almost quit school last January because he could no longer afford it. Once again, his academics paid off when he received a $10,000 scholarship from Thomson Reuters and the Minnesota High Tech Association.

'SOMETHING I HAD ALWAYS HOPED FOR'

Until June 15, Della Polla planned to move to the United Kingdom after graduation in order to work as a web engineer.

"I could have that peace of mind and enjoy my life and not worry for once," Della Polla said.

The move would mean leaving his family behind, but his double citizenship, Venezuelan and Italian, would allow him to work legally. His mother was born in Venezuela while his father is from Italy.

"I was very lucky because most Latinos do not have that option," Della Polla said.

Obama's announcement changed Della Polla's plan; maybe he could stay in the United States after all.

"It was something I had always hoped for, but I thought I would never see," Della Polla said.

He remembered the anxiousness of not knowing whether he could continue studying after high school, whether he could work, travel or even drive -- the bus ride to college took two hours, when the drive took 15 -- among other things.

All of this appears to be over.

"I really love this country, but the fact is that I was never recognized," Della Polla said, and added, "You are always the illegal immigrant in the news."

He said he knows the deferred action policy is not a path toward legal residency or citizenship, but it will open the door to opportunities such as the internship that he declined.

REACTION

Organizations such as NAVIGATE and the Immigrant Law Center have conducted information sessions in the Twin Cities.

About 250 students and 100 parents attended the first of several information sessions this summer, and NAVIGATE has spoken to about 1,500 students about college access in the past year.

Juventino Meza, executive director and one of five student founders of NAVIGATE, said young immigrants are reacting positively, despite the concerns.

"I think the deferred action policy is an awesome way to encourage young people to go back to school, stay in school and finish school," Meza said.

The organization NAVIGATE was created by five immigrant students, all with different backgrounds, and one high school coach. The group took the initiative to guide others on the quest for higher education.

"An educated nation is a better nation," Meza said.

On June 30, Minneapolis became the first city to support the new policy.

The two-year permit will not provide benefits such as financial aid or in-state tuition, but it will allow a work permit for those who qualify.

Keller, of the Immigrant Law Center, said the process is complicated. He advises those interested in pursuing it to consider the ramifications.

"Don't take this lightly, and make sure you have competent counsel that could guide you through the pros and cons of filing or not filing," Keller said.